Garden shed plans free

This diy step by step article article is about garden shed plans free. Building a light construction in your backyard to store your woodworking and garden tools, as well as other objects you don’t use on the regular basis is a great idea, but you need to understand the implications of this project. After you select a proper location for the garden shed, you have to build several concrete footings, construct the floor, the walls and the roof of the wooden structure. Afterwards, you have to install the asphalt shingles and fit the door and windows, to get your shed ready for use.

Choosing the right place for the garden shed is a real challenge, as you have to both comply with the local regulations and choose a location that won’t affect the look of your backyard. From a technical point of view, the soil should drain water properly, otherwise the foundation of your construction might be affected on the long run. In addition, you should place the shed in such a way that it would allow you to store the garden tools close the areas where you grow your vegetables and flowers.

Generally speaking, garden sheds come in a large variety of shapes, sizes and designs, but you have to choose the one that fit your needs and tastes perfectly. When designing the feature shed, you should take several aspects into consideration, such as computing the needed area to store all your tools, the shape of the roof or your budget. From our experience, we consider that the more complex the shape of the shed, the more expenditures would imply your project.

Tools

Tips

Lay out the storage shed in a professional manner, using batter boards and string

Plumb the walls using a spirit level and braces

Cover the roof of the garden shed with asphalt shingles

Time

Two weekends, two workers

Garden shed plans free

Free Garden Shed Plans

Building a garden shed may look as a complex woodworking project, especially for amateur handymen, but it is actually pretty straightforward, provided you select the plans with great care and select the materials properly. As you can see in the image, there are several components you have to build from pressure treated lumber and assemble together with galvanized screws. Check out my 12×16 shed plans, as well!

Smart tip: If you want to get the job done in a professional manner, you should plan everything from the very beginning, paying attention to the local building codes. Read the legal requirements and design the garden shed taking them into account, as well as your budget and needs.

How to build a garden shed

Laying out the garden shed

The first step of the building process is to lay out the shed in a professional manner. Therefore, we recommend you to build several batter boards from 2×4 slats and string, to set the perimeter of the construction.

Smart Tip: Measure the diagonals of the rectangle and adjust the string until they match. In addition, you should apply the 3-4-5 rule for each corner, as to make sure they are right-angled.

Footings form

After you have set the layout of the shed, you have to pour the concrete footings, that will support the weight of the wooden construction. Therefore, you have to cut 2×8 wooden boards and lock them together with screws.

The footings have to be at least 3′ deep (6” below the frost line) and at least 8” wide, otherwise they won’t be able to support the sill plates and the rest of the construction.

Concrete footings

After you have dug the holes, you have to pour a 4” layer of gravel and compact it thoroughly. Next, prepare a small quantity of concrete using the following mix: 2 parts cement, 3 parts sand, 4 parts gravel and water. The consistency of the concrete should be similar to cream. Pour the concrete in the forms and let it dry for at least 48 hours.

Smart Tip: Make sure the forms are aligned and level, otherwise you won’t be able to build the floor.

Garden shed floor joists

Lay 2×6 wooden sills above the concrete footings, as in the image. Next, you have to secure 2×6 perimeter joists along the exterior edges of the sills, by toenaling them with 4” screws. Use a spirit level before driving in the screws, otherwise the floor won’t be horizontal.

Afterwards, you have to cut several 2×6 joists and anchor them to the perimeter beams. From our experience, we recommend you to place the joists every 16” on center.

Securing the floor joists

In this image, you can easily notice the manner in which you have to anchor the joists to the perimeter beams. Therefore, we recommend you to use metal corner brackets or joists hangers and drive in several screws through the pre-drilled holes.

Smart Tip: Work with great care, making sure you plumb and align the joists at both ends, before securing them to the beams. Place the joists every 16” on center, or closer.

Installing shed’s flooring

After you have built the frame of the garden shed, you should to install 3/4” plywood and lock it into place with 2 1/2” decking screws. Work with great care and with good judgement to get the job done in a professional manner.

Smart Tip:We recommend you to install tongue and groove plywood, as the sheets would join together easier. Drive in the screws every 10”, along the joists.

Wall shed plans

Garden shed window frame

Next, you have to frame the walls of the shed, by using 2×4 pressure treated slats. As you can notice in the image, we recommend you to frame a window on one side of the shed, to let the light in.

Make sure you place the wooden studs every 16” on center, equally spaced. When fastening the walls to the floor of the shed, you have to brace them temporary with 2×4 slats. Drive 4” screws trough the bottom plate of the walls, in the joists.

Diy garden shed plans

Continue the project by installing the opposite wall of the shed in the same manner described above. Work with great care and plumb the walls before anchoring them to the floor.

From our own experience, we recommend you to assemble the wall structure on the ground and afterwards lift it on the floor with the help of another person. Make sure you frame the window properly, installing a double header and extra trimmer studs.

Garden shed door plans

Afterwards, frame the rest of the walls, in the same manner described above. Nevertheless, as you can see in the image, you should leave enough space to fit a door. Therefore, you have to decide the dimensions of the door you are going to use and frame the wall accordingly.

Smart Tip: We recommend you to double the door header and the side jambs, to create a rigid structure before fitting the new door.

Garden shed plans free

Drive in 3” screws every 15” along the joints between perpendicular walls, to increase the rigidity of the frame. Work with great care and with good judgement, if you want to obtain a professional result.

Don’t forget to plumb the walls before setting them into place. If you want to let more natural light in the garden shed, you can make the window bigger or place another one on the opposite wall.

Installing exterior siding on the garden shed

Install the exterior siding to the walls. Insert 1 1/4 finishing nails trough the 5/8” siding in the studs, by using a nail gun or a screwdriver. Make sure the siding cover the rim joists, in order to get a neat appearance.

You could also install siding on the interior faces of the garden shed. Nevertheless, if your budget is tight, you can still get the job, without installing siding on the interior faces of the shed.

Roof shed plans

Garden shed roof plans

As you can see in the image, you have to build the trusses on the ground and then secure them into place, by inserting 4” screws. Cut the components with a miter saw and then lock them together with 1/2” plywood gussets.

Measure the rafters properly, as the trusses must be same, otherwise it will be impossible to install the roofing sheets. Toe-nail the rafters to the top plates, by inserting 4” screws, after drilling pilot holes.

Garden shed roof plans

Building the roof of the shed can be done in many ways, but in this diy article we show you a quick technique. Assemble A-shaped trusses for the garden shed plans on the ground, making sure they all have the same shape and size.

After you cut the 2×4 parts, you have to assemble them by using 1/2” plywood gussets over every joint. In this manner the trusses will be locked together tightly.

Installing roof sheeting

Lift the trusses, plumb them with a spirit level and drive in several screws through the bottom element of the trusses in the top plate of the walls. Fasten 1/2” plywood sheets to the wooden rafters, by inserting 2 1/2” screws, every 10”. Afterwards, install roofing felt over the plywood sheets.

Smart Tip: As you can see in the image, the rafters should overhang at least 8”, to drain the water properly.

Garden shed front overhang

As you can see in the image, the shed should overhang about 10” in the front and back faces, to drain the water properly and to add character to your construction. After you build the four sets of double rafters, you should align them properly and lock them into place with 3” screws.

Work with great care and judgement, as everything has to be neat and look symmetrical. Buy galvanized screws, as they are highly resistant to water.

Installing drip caps

Before installing the shingles, you have to fit drain caps along the edges of the roof. In this manner, the roof will drain the water efficiently, protecting the shed against damages. The bottom drip cap should be placed under the roofing felt, while the side ones should be above.

Seal the gaps with silicone or with other products designed for this task, otherwise the water might damage the roof sheeting.

Installing the trims

Next, install 1×6 wooden trims to the rafters, as they will complete the appearance of the garden shed and mask the edges. In order to get the job done like a pro, we recommend you to insert 2” finishing nails.

You could also install 5/8” plywood to the interior face of the overhanging rafters, by inserting 2” screws. Fill the gaps with waterproof silicone and apply several coats of paint or varnish.

Installing asphalt shingles

Next, fit the asphalt shingles starting with the bottom of the roof. We recommend you to pay attention to the instructions provided by the manufacturers of the shingles, before fitting them on the roof.

When installing the shingles, they have to overhang about half an inch over the drip caps. Cut individual shingles and use them to build the top ridge caps. Seal eventual gaps with appropriate products.

Wood garden shed plans free

After you have sealed the roof of the garden shed, you have to fit the door and windows. If you have planned everything accurately, they should fit without any problems, but if you have to adjust their dimensions you could use a jointer.

Smart Tip: Cover the edges of the windows with wooden trims. Don’t forget to fill the gaps with wood putty, sand the surfaces with 120-grit sandpaper and paint the siding with protective paint.

Thank you for reading our article about garden shed plans free and we recommend you to check out the rest of our projects. Don’t forget to share our projects with your friends, by using the social media widgets.

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